This week we celebrate the culmination of an important step in ensuring for the safety of people with special needs. In 2001, I had the unfortunate, yet amazing, opportunity to lead the way for a Washington state criminal law that became nationally recognized as model legislation. Named after my then guide dog, Layla, it criminalizes dogs and people who, among other things, interfere with, injure or kill a guide dog or service dog. A violation can be charged as a misdemeanor or a Class B Felony, and it carries an extensive restitution requirement.
“Layla’s Law” was created after Layla and I were repeatedly harassed and attacked by the same loose dog, and after receiving what I felt was less than impressive response from local law enforcement. To say I was scared to leave or return home fearing Layla would be harassed or attacked is an understatement. However, I couldn’t stand by and feel sorry for myself. I had to find a way to stand up for what I felt was a basic human right: to be able to walk on public sidewalks and cross streets whenever I wanted without having to fear for my guide dog’s and my own safety. My solution was “Layla’s Law.”
At the time, I had never read a law, let alone written one. My knowledge of how a law was made came straight out of my high school’s civics class. In other words, I knew nothing. Knowing nothing, though, may have been to my advantage. I didn’t know how unlikely it would be to get a lawmaker to agree to back a new law, let alone get it from a mere proposal to an actual enforceable law. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss.
My ignorance of the ugly world of lawmaking quickly faded away once influential consumer organizations of the blind came out opposing my bill. No matter how many times it looked like my law would never become a reality, I found a way to keep moving forward. I never gave up despite the odds. My tenacity eventually earned a unanimous vote in both branches of the Washington State Legislature. A signature from the governor made my dream a reality.
Those who know the legislature understand the great accomplishment it was to get Democrats and Republicans to fully agree on anything.
As an early 20-something young adult, it was an amazing feeling to know that I managed to lead the way for what has become important legislation that has been adopted by other states and influenced others. Yet, I couldn’t have done it alone. I managed to develop a coalition of guide dog schools, nonprofits (including the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound), legislators (including retired Sen. Jeralita Costa, and Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe), as well as the support I received from friends and family.
I wholeheartedly ask just a few things of the public. First, please keep your dogs on a leash or fenced in a yard. Next, don’t pet or distract a working guide dog or service dog. While you may think the dog is just sitting there doing nothing, it is still at work. The dog’s and their human’s safety is truly at risk if they are distracted.
Additionally, blind is not who I am — I’m me! People automatically assume because I am legally blind that I am somehow less intelligent, Deaf, or incapable of being a great employee or a productive member of society. While I may have to do things differently than my fully-sighted peers, that doesn’t mean I can’t accomplish the same goals and meet the same expectations. Don’t be blind to what I am truly capable of doing. I think “Layla’s Law” demonstrates that quite dramatically.
Finally, believe in yourself. Hey, I am no different than any other “average Joe” out there. If I can manage to accomplish incredible things as I did in the Washington State Legislature in under three months, you can also achieve your goals in life, both small and large. My favorite saying is on a plaque I received from Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. for my work in creating and passing “Layla’s Law,” which says, “To try where there is but little hope is to risk failure. Not to try guarantees it.
Hy Cohen is a computer and adaptive technology instructor at a nonprofit in California and sits on the Americans with Disabilities Act advisory board for Lodi, California.